Lionsgate Reveals Approval Of Hunger Games For Early June Release In China

5/5/2012 11:52 PM ET

Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (LGF) announced that The Hunger Games, which has already grossed nearly $620 million at the worldwide box office, has been approved for release in China in the first half of June.

The entertainment company stated that the film will be released nationwide in China with both dubbed and subtitled prints by The China Film Group in conjunction with Lionsgate's promotional partner, Talent International. According to Lionsgate, Hunger Games will be one of the first Hollywood studio films to be released in China under the new blockbuster revenue sharing agreement announced in February that allows Western distributors to collect up to 25% of a film's receipts in China.

Wendy Reeds, executive vice president of Content Sales & Distribution for Celestial Tiger Entertainment (CTE), Lionsgate's venture with Saban Capital Group and Astro's Celestial Pictures in Asia, stated, "We view China as an increasingly important market for our content in Asia. The Chinese box office grew by more than 30% last year to over $2 billion, and THE HUNGER GAMES' approval for nationwide release in China is a major step in translating the enormous commercial potential of this huge market into reality."

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